From the Sportshall to the biggest stage of them all?

By Ben Baker, Sportsbeat

NOW I have never been much of an athlete, unless you count the one time I finished second in my school sports day discus event, albeit out of three competitors.

RISING STARS: Commonwealth Games heptathlon Louise Hazel pictured at Aviva Sportshall

But I have always felt as though I could more than hold my own in a number of sports when I was a kid, a jack of all trades master of none sort of thing.

That was until I travelled to Birmingham's LG Arena for the Aviva Sportshall UK Final, and realised I couldn't have been much further from the truth.

This annual event sees the best athletes aged nine to 15 compete in a number of running, jumping and throwing events ranging from shot put to standing triple jump.

These energetic young competitors don the colours of their home town, split up into regions, and do battle to see which area of the UK, and which individual, comes out on top.

And let me tell you, these kids meant business.

Two well-known names have already risen to the top of this pile, kickstarting careers that saw them climb the podium at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Kelly Sotherton, before she even dreamt about being the 2006 Commonwealth heptathlon champion, was crowned overall girls Sportshall winner in 1992.

And six years later a young Mark Lewis-Francis did the same in the boy's event, kickstarting a junior career that saw him blaze past all in front of him.

So could there be another Darlaston Dart in the class of 2011? You better believe it.

How about the Merton Marvel? Ok, that might need a bit of work but it shouldn't take anything away from the man of the moment, boy's overall winner Daniel Ghosh.

The 15-year-old, third in 2010, racked up a total of 293 points with gold in the shot put following a throw of 15.06m and the standing triple jump title with 9.15m.

He also picked up two-lap bronze to finish four points ahead of Edward Burgess, with George Griffiths - who equalled the Welsh standing long-jump record of 2.82m - third.

And the tough rivalry was also there for all to see in the girls' competition, Morgan Lake coming out on top.

Not 14 until May, Lake finished with 294 points after topping the podium in the standing long-jump and winning silver in the shot put and bronze in the four-lap race.

Aiden Meehen's long trip from County Donegal was made worth it as she finished second overall, ten points behind Lake, while Fiona Brown was third on 279.

And the scary thing is, Lake is still young enough to give it another crack next year, and on this form she will take some beating.

Commonwealth heptathlete Louis Hazel was watching on, and we both agreed the standard of those competing was scarily good.

She even gave a few of the events a go, but after she had laid down a marker with the shot put, I wisely felt a twinge in my shoulder and decided I would give it a miss - nobody wants to prove there are the worst athlete in the room, especially when I was twice the age of the some of the competitors.

And the proud Brummie had plenty to shout about with Birmingham's Under-15 boys topping the team standings, a title they last held in 2007.

Birmingham's Under-15 girls were searching for a third successive team victory but were outshone by Berkshire, led by the impressive Lake.

And in the Under-13 team events, it was a case of déjà-vu as both Cheshire's girls and Avon's boys held on to their 2010 team titles.

I have no doubt that this is just the beginning for these young athletes, and on this showing Great Britain's sporting future looks rosy.

Sportshall provides a perfect platform for these starlets to go on and do their country proud in major international events.

So don't be shocked if you hear the names Ghosh and Lake in the future, and just remember I told you about them first.

All of this makes my school discus silver seem pretty worthless now really...